Folic Acid Shows Benefits for Diabetic Heart Health
Lee Swanson Research Update
A new study published in The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry shows that folic acid supplementation may reverse the detrimental changes in blood vessel health associated with diabetes.
The cardiovascular benefits of folate and folic acid, the synthetic bioavailable form, have been reported previously, and are linked to the B vitamin’s effects on levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that at high levels has been linked to an increase in the risk of heart disease.
The study, led by Sai Wang Seto from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, found that diabetic mice fed a daily folic acid supplement equivalent to 5 mg per day for a 154 lb. human led to a reversal in the dysfunction occurring in the lining of blood vessels, compared to a lower dose of the micronutrient.
"Folic acid consumption may probably make it a beneficial addition to [improve] vascular disorders/complications associated with diabetes mellitus," wrote the researchers.
For the study, Seto and co-workers used diabetic mice and fed them daily supplements of folic acid. After one month, they observed that mice not fed the supplements experienced blunted vascular relaxation, while the supplements improved this process.
The improvements were linked to a protein pathway that involves eNOS—a molecule that promotes dilation of the blood vessels and prevents clotting—and Akt, a signaling protein linked to the regulation of the insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) pathways.
The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry Published online ahead of print.